WWE Champion AJ Styles spoke with Dirtfork and amongst other topics, he discussed his expectation of his role in the WWE when first coming in.
When Styles debuted at the Royal Rumble, he entered to a huge ovation from the fans. At first, Vince believed this was a fluke according to the "Phenomenal One"; however, Styles then explains the moment he thinks Vince McMahon changed his tune:
“From my understanding, I was looked at as a mid-card at best in the WWE. That was the plan and I was okay with that because it was still a great job, a great payday and a great way to take care of my family. I didn’t necessarily think that’s where I was going to be but there was that time when I made my debut and fans knew who I was in Orlando. They made some noise and it was pretty great. Vince [McMahon] assumed it was a fluke. He didn’t think too much of A.J. Styles.
“I don’t even think I was supposed to be on Raw that next Monday. But the turning point where Vince really saw something in me was when I had a regular match, a babyface match, went out and did my thing. I came back to gorilla and Vince says, ‘Come here for a second. I’ve got other guys who can do exactly what you just did out there. You didn’t do anything special. I need a pit bull. I need a guy who just attacks. I need a guy who gets after it.’
“I said, ‘Well, I know that guy. I know exactly who that guy is’ and there was the opportunity to be on Miz TV and I handled it just like I was ready to eat this guy’s lunch and basically, I think the way that turned out was the turning point for Vince. The next thing you know, after WrestleMania, I’m beating Chris Jericho and I’m the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns where we had a couple of fantastic matches. That was the turning point. That’s when things changed and that’s how I became the A.J. Styles that you know now.”
Also during the interview, Styles talks about his opponent at the biggest party of the summer, Samoa Joe, his current run as WWE champion and many other topics regarding his professional wrestling career.
Check out the full inteview on
Dirtfork.